“Perpetual Motion” Exhibits Modern Interpretations of Automata

Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or depends on motion for its effect. For the 11 international artists in the upcoming exhibit “Perpetual Motion” at Heron Arts in San Francisco, movement is fundamental to storytelling. Their collective kinetic works offer a modern interpretation of this age old art form that redefined sculpture into more than three-dimensional- it transformed our perceptions of line, color and life itself into an extension of the human imagination.

“Perpetual Motion” is co-curated by Tom Haney, the artist behind these whimsical automata sculptures that we posted a few weeks earlier. “The word automata seems to be coming more and more recognizable here in the US,” he writes at his blog. “Over here, when I say I make automata, people get this blank look on their faces… until I say it’s figurative, kinetic artwork.”

In addition to new sculptures by Haney, the exhibition also features works by David Archer, Lorenzo Cambin, Chris Fitch, Nemo Gould, Thomas Kuntz, Pat Keck, Richard Landon, Paul Spooner, and husband and wife collaborators Dean Lucker and Ann Wood. “Working in various materials, these artists aim to tell stories with their work. Not satisfied with just the ability to make a static sculpture move, the artists push their audiences to examine- and interpret- the narrative of each piece for themselves,” Haney says. “Perpetual Motion: Contemporary Interpretations of Fine Art Automata” opens at Heron Arts on April 16th.